Lubricating-plug.



Patented July 4, I899.

J. C. MCALEXANDER 81, B. H. THOMAS.

I LUBRICATING PLUG.

(Alpplication filed Apr. 7, 1898.) (No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH o. MOALEXANDER AND BENJAMIN H. THOMAS, or OHARLOTTES- VILLE,VIRGINIA.

LUBRlCATlNG-PLUG. A

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 628,019, dated July 4,1899. Application filed April 7,1898; Serial NO: 676,802. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JOSEPH C. MCALEX- ANDER and BENJAMIN H. THOMAS,citizens of the United States, residing at Oharlottesville, 7

in the county of Albemarle and State of Virginia, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Lubricating-Plugs; and we do declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

The invention has relation to lubricatingplugs for steam-chests ofengines, more particularly to engines of the locomotive type.

The object of the invention is to provide means whereby the oil may bemore regularly supplied to the chest while the locomotive is working,and especially at high pressure, without the necessity of shutting offthe engine.

With this object in view the invention consists in certain features ofconstruction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described andclaimed.

The accompanying drawing illustrates our invention in vertical section,showing one end connected to a steam-chest and the other end connectedto the pipe leading from the lubricator, which lubricator is arranged inthe cab of the locomotive.

As the steam-chest and the lubricator form no part of our invention, afurtherdescription of the same is not deemed necessary. Hence we willnow proceed to describe our invention, referring to the other partsshown only incidentally.

1 denotes asteam-chest, and 2 the pipe leading from the lubricator (notshown) located in the cab of the locomotive.

3 denotes the plug-casing, which consists of the body portion 4, havingan enlarged condenser-chamber 5 at its lower end and a reduced chamber 6at its upper end. The

outer side of..the casing is provided with.

which is conical and terminates in .a sharp point 9. This reducer iscentrally bored, as

shown at 10, and the upper end of this bore is contracted to reduce theopening to about three one-hundred-and-twenty-eighths of an inch, moreor less, to measure out or restrict the flow of the oil, which mayfreely pass downward therethrough, and the longitudinal bore, byvirtueof its considerable length and because it has a slightly larger diameterthan the contracted portion, will permit the oil to flow freely to thepartsto be lubricated without allowing the steam to interfere with thedownward movement. Assuming the bore to be of uniform dimensionsthroughout, the oil might be prevented from passing downward upper endof the casing 3 and by means of which the end of the lubricator-pipe isattached to the casing.

The operation of the device is as follows: The casing being attached tothe lower end of the lubricator-pipe and the lubricator in the cab ofthe locomotive being set to allow oil to drop through said pipe and apressure maintained in said pipe equal to or greater than the backpressure from the steam-chest, since steam is freely admitted throughthe upper end of said pipe by an equalizing-pas sage in the lubricator,it is evident that the specific gravity of the oil will cause it todropthrough the steam in said pipe and pass out through the bore of thereducer. The upper end of this bore is contracted or reduced to such-anextent that the steam passing therethrough-from the steam-chestwill notin the least interfere with the passage-of oil downward through saidbore even while the -engine By the employment of our device the oil isfed regularly and constantly, so that the vvalves are properlylubricated and no oil lost.

the chamber 5 to form the trap, said reducer havinga longitudinal bore,the upper end of which is contracted, and means for attaching the casingatone end to the discharge-pipe v of the steam-lubricator and at theother end to the steam-chest, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH O. MGALEXANDER. BENJ. I'I. THOMAS. Witnesses:

BENJ. G. CoWL, A. 13.51711.

